perth
Showing posts with label perth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perth. Show all posts

perth: pleased to meet you, northbridge.

deciding what to eat for dinner in perth was a giant pain in the ass, because all the cafés close by 4pm, leaving us with limited options. googling turned up pleased to meet you, which was pretty near where we were staying (and they also had cornbread), so we headed over. it was a weeknight, so the place was quiet. only one person was running the floor- he was the bartender, waiter and cashier all rolled into one, and an efficient one at that. i was impressed.



it's a tapas bar, but because of X's limited stomach space, we ordered separately. i liked that it's small plates, because it means i get to try more things. what i got was the raw beef san choy bau (A$12), a beef reuben bao (A$6) and cornbread with maple butter (A$6).



the cornbread was the last to arrive, but it was absolute highlight of the meal. it redefined cornbread for me- i never knew that cornbread could be that good. it came in a thick wedge, alongside a generous quenelle of maple butter. the cornbread was rich, buttery and intensely savoury, with a toasty crust but crumbly insides. paired with the slightly sweet maple butter, it was a sweet-savoury combination that ticked all the right boxes for me. it was so good that it's since become my benchmark for cornbread.



the raw beef san choy bau was not too bad- it was a refreshing starter, what with the crunch of the lettuce wrap and the slightly tart beef filling.



i felt the beef reuben bao was a letdown, though. the bacon-esque beef filling was tasty on its own, but there was just too little of it, and paired with the slightly wet steamed bao, it just didn't work for me. i ended up just eating the filling. the meal left me with mixed feelings- on one hand, the cornbread was glorious, but the other two didn't quite measure up.

we weren't meant to return for another meal, but we were in the area and wanted dimsum, but learnt that it wasn't available for dinner. so... i decided that i could do with another serving of the cornbread. this time, the dishes that i picked were really good. along with the cornbread (of course), i got pork fingers with bbq mayo (A$9) and a warm beetroot salad (A$10).



pork fingers were basically battered pulled pork tenders- seriously good, but it got to be a bit too much after a while. and since the dishes were for sharing, portions were not exactly sized for one person to finish. i ended up sharing it with X.



i finished the entire serving of the warm beetroot salad on my own, though. they meant it when they said warm- it was comfortingly so. i liked the salad because there was a mix of textures and flavours- crumbles of goat's cheese and an utterly delicious savoury granola. i was initially undecided about ordering the salad, because how inspiring can a salad be, right? they proved me wrong though, with that beetroot number.

the cornbread didn't seem to be as good as previously- not as toasty. it was probably because it was a busy night for them, compared to our first visit. still, it was a really good cornbread. it's one of those things that i would want to go back just to have again. if it were in singapore i would probably keep returning whenever i have a cornbread craving.


pleased to meet you
38 roe street
https://www.facebook.com/pleasedtomeetyouperth/
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perth: sayers sister, lake street.

sayers sister was one of the cafés listed on my to-try list for perth. it wasn't exactly accessible though- it was located a good twenty minutes away from the cbd. i'm so glad that we made the effort to go, though, because the food was good. definitely worth the trek.



the first time we came, it was for lunch. it was quite late by the time we made it there, but the place was buzzing. managed to nab the only available table inside. found the tables too close together for comfort, though. it made getting out of the seat a challenge, and privacy for conversation was basically nil.

i was undecided between the pulled lamb (A$23) and cornbread (A$19). from what i saw on instagram, the cornbread was what almost everyone ordered, and it looked spectacular. the pulled lamb, however, sounded really good, with its middle eastern inspired flavours- i just wasn't sure about the black pudding. upon asking, i realised that the black pudding was just three small pieces, so i decided to get it.



when i read the menu (black pudding & pulled lamb, pearl barley salad, sweet potato hummus, flatbread & minted chimichurri) i certainly did not envision it to be... well, the way it was. when it arrived, i was startled by the way the dish looked. i was expecting it to be more... traditionally presented, with all the elements flat on the plate and flatbread on the side. it came, however, as more of a stack, with the flatbread acting as a layer in between, with the black pudding at the side. it was a good sort of surprise, though!



the pulled lamb was actually mixed together with the pearl barley to form a salad, and that was the base of the dish. the pearl barley added a delicious bite that was countered by the smooth sweet potato hummus. every element worked together to form a coherent dish. the only element i didn't get was the flatbread- it felt like it was more for aesthetics than anything else.

X got the chai tea poached chicken salad (A$25), which came with smoky eggplant, sundried tomato, mozzarella, basil pesto and rocket. similarly, portions were generous. we were both stuffed at the end of the meal.

the food was so good that i decided that we had to come back for breakfast, because i wanted to have the cornbread.



we returned the next day for breakfast, and i got to have the cornbread. having had cornbread for dinner the night before at pleased to meet you, i found sayers sister's rendition lacklustre in comparison. it was not as rich and buttery as the one i had for dinner, but with all the add-ons, it was still a delicious eat. the perfectly poached eggs added a richness when paired with with the cornbread. it also came with maple roasted pumpkin, baked ricotta, capsicum relish and blackened corn salsa, which added complexity to the dish.



X couldn't decide on the leek croquettes (A$19) or the potato rösti (A$20), so she made me decide for her (!). i decided on the potato rösti for her, and similarly, it came in a stack, with a tangle of rocket leaves on top and the rösti buried beneath.



i found the lamb to be better than the cornbread, but i enjoyed the food both visits. X, however, i think, found the flavours too strong for her liking. i would go back just for the lamb- too bad it's not in singapore. café food in australia is generally much more refined and value-for-money as compared to its singaporean counterparts. eating in cafés in perth has been an absolute joy- i would so love to have had more time to eat.




sayers sister
236 lake street
http://www.sayerssister.com.au
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perth: toastface grillah, barrack street.

went to perth during the national day holiday, and even though there were some screw ups with the flight (*cough* SCOOT *cough*), it's been a great trip (with lots of eating). it was winter in perth, and while i expected it to be cold, it was even colder than i'd expected, because of the incessant rain.



we visited toastface grillah twice- once for breakfast, and the other for lunch. the first time, i was startled to find that it was tucked in an alley, with graffiti-ed walls, no less. 



it was quirky and cool, though, with a small space inside with a counter and kitchen, and outdoor seating. we basically sat facing the alley. 



i was pondering over the steak sandwich (A$9) and the pear grillz (A$9), but my decision was made when i found out that the steak sandwich would only be available for lunch. X got the shroomy shroomy ya (A$9), which was basically a mushroom and cheese toastie. 


we ordered and paid before taking a seat outside, and our food was served after a brief wait. the toastie was delicious- never thought that a toastie could taste like that. 


the bread itself was toasty, golden and crisp, with fabulous grill marks; stuffed with a sweet-savoury combination of stilton blue cheese, cinnamon pear, raisins, currants and lime chutney. i savoured every bite. the flat white (A$3.50) i ordered was pretty good, too. 


tried a bit of X's mushroom toastie, but much preferred mine. there was an underlying flavour that i didn't quite take to. 


the pear toastie was so good that i decided to come back to try the steak one. while it was yummy, i found myself slightly feeling let down, because comparing to the pear, it just didn't quite measure up. still, it was steak and cheese sandwiched between golden slices of toast, and you really can't go too wrong with that. 

they've taken something simple and elevated it by doing it faultlessly. if it was in singapore i'd be back multiple times just for the pear toastie. 



toastface grillah
143 barrack street
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